London - Supermarkets work hard to stimulate customers’ senses and tickle their tastebuds — to tell them they are in a place that provides fresh food, while often it’s a clever lie.
Apples on sale can be up to a year old- thanks to high-tech storage and chemical treatments, they look the same as they did on the day they were picked and fish in the chiller cabinet could be older than 2 years.
Apples:
TRUE AGE: UP TO 12 MONTHS
Once harvested, apples destined for long-term storage are placed in chilled warehouses in a ‘controlled atmosphere’. This has relatively low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide. The aim is to halt the release of ethylene, a chemical produced by fruit and vegetables when they ripen.
Fruit loses at least half its vitamin C after two months. Antioxidants can also decline. Studies have also suggested that slowing down ripening for this length of time affects flavour.
Fresh Fish
TRUE AGE: UP TO TWO YEARS
Once caught, fresh fish is kept on ice as it is brought off the trawler and through the supply chain. Different species have different shelf lives, depending on factors such as their oil levels and the season when caught. Monitoring the age of fish on sale is left to supermarkets, as it is kept on ice and at the right temperatures.’
As for fish on the fresh counter that was previously frozen but is sold in a thawed state, -it could be a few weeks. A few months. It could be up to two years some times.
It is all perfectly safe because it will have been frozen at sea and then kept frozen until ready to be taken out of the warehouse and put it on the counter.
Bread
TRUE AGE: UP TO 12 months
Many supermarkets boast in-store bakeries, churning out what appear to be freshly-baked loaves, baguettes and rolls. But while that just-baked smell may appeal to customers, there is no guarantee these products are as fresh as they smell.
Actually, they could be up to a year old — the supermarket is simply finishing off part-baked dough that has been cryogenically frozen at -19C. The majority of supermarket in-store bakery loaves are produced using artificial additives and processing aids and that many are not being baked from scratch on site but produced elsewhere to be re-baked at a later date as and when needed.
Potatoes
TRUE AGE: UP TO 12 MONTHS
To ensure they last longer, potatoes are ‘cured’, toughening the skin and making them disease-resistant.
This is achieved by exposing them for up to a fortnight to temperatures of 20C and high humidity. The temperature is then lowered to between 6C and 10C, after which they are treated with a chemical known as chlorpropham - which prevent plant cell division and stops potatoes sprouting.
Bananas
TRUE AGE: UP TO ONE MONTH
To obtain maximum shelf life, bananas are harvested before the fruit is mature. Picked green and hard, they are washed, processed and put into suspended animation. The fruit is cooled and placed in refrigerated transportation at 13C. This allows storage and shipping for up to four weeks. On arrival, the bananas are ‘woken up’ — placed in ripening rooms for five to seven days where the temperature is raised — and flushed with low concentrations of ethylene gas, catalysing the ripening process.
Milk
TRUE AGE: THREE WEEKS
Straight from the cow, milk starts to separate and deteriorate within hours. Fresh milk has its fat levels altered and is then pasteurised — heated to more than 70C to remove bacteria.
It is usually 48 hours’ old by the time it reaches the shop, but it stays drinkable for at least three days in the fridge or up to a week if unopened. New technology means fresh milk can have an extended life - it goes through an extra, fine filtration system, which prevents bacteria that cause souring from passing through.
It is then homogenized, the process that breaks up fat globules, spreading them evenly and preventing a creamy layer forming at the top - staying fresh for 21 days unopened, and a week once opened. It is sold in a white container — rather than a see-through one — to further preserve freshness.
Daily Mail